Articles

Last week marked the first week of band and orchestra classes for a new crop of young musicians in the Northshore School District — an event that might leave parents wondering how to obtain instruments for their children and, more importantly, how much it’s going to cost.

Statistics show that 43 percent of parents think their kids are capable of being professional athletes.

In reality that is very far from what is actually possible. Statistics from stopsportsinjuries.org state that only 7 percent of high school athletes in the U.S. actually make it to college-level sports. Before that, 70 percent of all kids in the U.S. drop out of sports before age 13. Even if your child makes it to the college level, 25 percent of those athletes quit sports while in college. The main reasons for dropping out of sports are burnout, overuse injuries or too much parental pressure. So how do we change this?

There has been a substantial increase in students taking online college courses, changing significantly how modern learners access information, and librarians have adjusted to keep pace with an ever increasing demand for knowledge in the digital age.

Recent data on college attendance show that, through the fall of 2012, 7.1 million students, or about one-third of all enrolled students, were taking at least one course online. Sixty-three percent of chief academic officers at the nation’s colleges and universities believe it very likely that within five years the majority of students will be taking at least one course online, according to a survey conducted in 2013 by Babson Research.

The weather is still beautiful, the leaves are still green, but summer is coming to an end regardless. In just a week, students in Northshore School District will go back to class. But the school’s academic calendar will be more than school holidays and events; each month will feature a student who in some way inspires others. Leanna Albrecht, the director of communications for NSD, asked for nominations of students who did exceptional work. “It’s not just about a test score,” she said. “It’s not just about how they did on the sports field.”

These are some of the NSD students whose experiences and hard work have inspired others.

Northshore School District will make this year’s bus stop information available on Aug. 25. After reviewing your child’s information, please contact Transportation immediately at (425) 408-7900 if something looks amiss or you need additional assistance.

Students are routed and assigned to buses at a single stop location based on the address they have registered with their school. Waiver students and walkers are not eligible for transportation and may inquire about available space on a bus by completing a Transportation Request Form, www.nsd.org/transportationforms.